


Elegance

by mantisbelle



Series: Femslash February 2018 [5]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Project Freelancer, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13812675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mantisbelle/pseuds/mantisbelle
Summary: Agent South Dakota is really the person least suited to go on a mission at some uptight party. Really, this isn't something that she belongs in at all. Carolina's better suited for the job. They just have to get in, get out, and try not to leave too much of an impression.This should be easy.





	Elegance

So there were a lot of reasons that South wasn't exactly looking forward to this mission. The fact that she had spent most of the night before in goddamn  _ York's _ room of all places being put through a crash course on infiltration, emphasis on the  _ crash _ \- had a lot to do with it. The fact that she had to remain in formal wear was also a pretty damn big part of it as well.    
  
The other half of her problem was that she was being sent along on this mission with Carolina of all people. Which left South feeling  _ really _ inadequate.    
  
The two of them were given a room to share while they prepared for what was to come. South had been able to drag out some of her old formal clothes, which apparently her brother had been holding onto for some reason. Not that South really wanted to know  _ why _ because it was sure to be sickeningly nostalgic.    
  
Carolina, on the other hand, looked gorgeous in a really frustrating effortless way.    
  
South felt much less so. And she felt awkward on top of that, because she was in the process of trying to figure out the best possible way to strap a sawed off shotgun to her thigh. Getting knives into place had been easy, but if it came to a fight she wanted something a little more reliable.    
  
You know, just in case. It  _ was  _ a mission after all.   
  
"South?" Carolina said, her voice deadly serious as always and her face already furrowed down into the expression that she always wore when it was a mission day. Hard-focused and impossible to waver. Carolina. "Please tell me that you're ready."    
  
"Yeah, something like that." South mutters, still very unsatisfied with what she's managed to do. She stands up and walks in front of the mirror that the two of them dragged into the shared hotel room. From where she stands she can see the way that the shotgun sticks out from under her dress. "Who the hell decided that I was a good choice for this sort of shit?"   
  
"You know the answer to that." Carolina responds dryly. She's apparently prepared for a fight as well, but she managed to do it more flawlessly than South could. "I know it's not ideal."   
  
"I just can't help but think there had to be better choices." South says, picking a hand up to at least try and fix her hair. With the dye she can't make herself look perfect for a formal anything. They should have picked someone else. Like Connie, or North, or  _ their goddamn infiltration specialist _ . Hell, even  _ Wash  _ would have probably been a better choice than she was. 

But no, apparently there was some sort of system which was always right. And that was a load of horseshit in itself.    
  
Carolina sighs. She steps up beside South so that she can get a look at herself in the mirror. "It always gives us less than optimal matchups." Carolina holds her head up high, lengthening the line of her neck and beginning to slide some earrings into place. South catches herself staring for a little too long before ripping her gaze away.    
  
"Yeah," South says, with perhaps a little bit more bite to her words than she would have preferred. "I  _ know _ ."    
  
Carolina rolls her eyes, brushing her hair into place. She looks gorgeous. Her hair is perfectly in place, the gown she's wearing fits her perfectly, she looks like she could probably strike someone dead if they just looked at her.    
  
By comparison, South feels gross, and wrong. The fact that she took a shower two hours before doesn't matter. It's still a feeling that she has, one that she doesn't know that she's actually going to be able to shake in time for the mission's actual start. Maybe if she's lucky she'll be able to sink into the background while Carolina draws all of the attention.    
  
That would be absolute best thing for her. She could do stealth. In theory.    
  
"It's going to be fine." Carolina sighs, already seeming more than disinterested.    
  
"You're the one that looks like you actually belong here." South grumbles, reaching down to her leg and doing what she can to adjust how the shotgun lies. She needs to figure out a better solution, and South isn't confident that she'll find one that easy.    
  
Maybe she could just bring in a second or third thigh holster full of knives. That could have worked. At the very least it would have been easier for her to hide.

Actually, just about anything probably would have been easier to hide.    
  
North would have been able to find a way to hide a shotgun. The asshole.    
  
“You’re going to be able to blend in fine.” Carolina replies, and she sounds a little bit annoyed at that point by the way that things are going. "You just need to  _ try  _ and blend in. Worry less."    
  
South grumbled, because that wasn't going to be possible. She didn't really know the first thing about formal situations. The last time that she'd worn anything nearly as nice as it had been her and North's prom- and that had been awful and she hadn't even actually gone really. The night had ended up with them skipping out early to get cheap burgers and soda and play paintball in a field with some friends.   
  
She looked down at the dress and the way that it laid on her body. Resigned to the way that things were going, she removed the shotgun from her leg and tossed it back onto the bed. South walked over to the mattress, since they still had a case of weapons on top of it and she needed to find the best thing to bring in. Carolina had probably already taken the best stuff too.    
  
Carolina walked over to the bed and took a seat, making herself comfortable at the end of it while South searched for anything that she could use and feel comfortable using. "I just can't believe I got signed up for this shit. What was the Director even thinking?"   
  
"He has a system and trusts it." Carolina says, like that will be able to make everything make sense. She still manages to sound bored, parroting the same thing that she’s said a hundred times before. 

South knows that she has no idea how the system supposedly works, and she has reason to believe that Carolina probably doesn't either. She talked to York once to try and work out the math for their scoring on the leaderboard but York had just shrugged and said he didn't know either. Everyone else garnered similar results.    
  
"The system is dumb." South groans when she finally finds something that might work for her. An old fashioned Ka-Bar and a Magnum. Definitely not enough to carry her through a full night or to help her if things got really ugly, but it's  _ something _ . She'd wanted the shotgun more, but since her damn dress wasn't going to permit it, that wasn't going to work.    
  
Carolina shrugged. "I can't say that I really disagree with you about that." She mutters, her eyes flicking away from South for a moment. "I didn't really want to go on this mission that much either. I would have figured that something that's at least halfway about charming people would have been better suited to other people."   
  
South pauses, taking a step back purely out of surprise because that was something that she hadn't been expecting to hear out of Carolina at all. She'd figured that Carolina would just take whatever mission was offered to her and she would be happy about it all the same. Maybe Carolina just saw things as they were- she was better suited to a situation where she was able to run out and kick ass instead of playing intrigue or something.    
  
In a way, it makes he feel a lot better about having been assigned.    
  
She looks down at the Ka-Bar and straps it to her thigh, before doing the same with the handgun that she'd selected. South turns to face Carolina and holds her head up high. "I just want to get this over with." She says. "So can we please go out there and just get this done?"   
  
"You know that we have to be patient." Carolina says, her voice harsh. "Just remember to stay on comms tonight, and keep your shit together."   
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" South snapped at Carolina. "If you wanted to say that I don't belong here, you could have just said it."    
  
"You're the one that keeps on saying that you don't like the mission." Carolina retaliated, her voice just as harsh as South's had been.

“I  _ don’t _ .” South muttered, “But that doesn’t mean you should say it.”    
  
Carolina rolled her eyes. “Just get it together, South.”    
  
South gave herself one last look in the mirror and pushed her hair out of her face before beginning to walk towards the door so that she could slip on her heels. It wasn’t enough to make things. feel right, but she could do her job like this.    
  
She just really hoped that she and Carolina wouldn’t end up needing to run.

* * *

 

The banquet itself was exactly what South had been expecting. A lot of her keeping her eyes open for trouble, a lot of pretending to sip champagne because it made her look a little less threatening and helped her blend in, and a lot of just standing around and listening along to boring chatter by boring people.    
  
Carolina seemed to be taking it in stride, blending in with small crowds and laughing along to jokes that were the furthest thing from funny. When she'd get away from the action for a moment, that was when Carolina and South were able to actually communicate. "Target’s speech will be starting in two hours." Carolina said into the communication channel that the two of them were sharing.    
  
"Sure is." South muttered, having managed to slip away herself and off to the side. Carolina was standing over by the punch bowl, keeping her back turned away from anyone. South took a glance at her, and couldn't help but notice just how cleanly the lines of her gown fit her. It definitely seemed to suit Carolina a little bit better than armor,  but that didn't mean that South expected to ever see this sort of thing again.    
  
"Once it starts, we'll do everything according to plans. No equipment or armor will be a problem, but we're both good enough in hand to hand that I'm not worried." Carolina carried on, and South couldn't help but note that it was an uncharacteristic amount of chatter for her. "Just keep an eye open."   
  
"Way ahead of you." South grumbled before she turned her attention away from Carolina entirely. Just out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Carolina was looking at her just the same. Those bright green eyes flicked away too quick though.    
  
With everything said that the two of them had needed to say, South just slipped back into obscurity and did what she could to get a better look at the layout of the building. Sure, she and Carolina were probably going to be able to handle themselves, but getting out of trouble was something else entirely. Something which South intended to be prepared for when it came.    
  
Niner was going to be there, but South still wanted options. Just in case.   
  
Two hours worth of mind numbing boredom ticked by without much excitement. By the time that all of the party guests were settling down for their meal and to hear some lectures, South slipped out of the banquet hall and took temporary refuge in the bathroom. Minutes later, Carolina joined her there, all of the false levity from earlier utterly gone.    
  
"Ready?" South asked, giving herself one last look in the mirror. She really didn't like what she was given to play with that night. Too little equipment, and clothes that she didn't think that she was going to be able to move in all that well should things get loud.   
  
"We should give them time to get started." Carolina said plainly, checking the handgun that she had on her leg for herself. "Once we're sure that they're completely distracted, then we make our move."    
  
"Sounds good." South mumbles. Carolina stopped and moved her hand to her other leg, revealing a thigh as she removed something else from it. South looked over and saw that it was a small radio that she had probably managed to nab off of a guard. Maybe she'd played along in a small crowd and nicked it off of someone that wasn’t paying attention. Maybe someone had left it lying around. Either way, South intended to use this. "Where'd you get that?"   
  
"Doesn't matter." Carolina says, turning it over and popping over the back. "Their comms are scrambled, but-"    
  
South leans over, taking a look at the radio for herself. "There should be a frequency code in there."    
  
"That's what I'm looking for."    
  
South reached over and snatched the radio from Carolina's hands before beginning to dig out the batteries.

This was something that she knew. South turned towards the light so that she could see whether or not she could catch any lettering that had been left on the inside of the battery chamber. She stared it down.   
  
“Try frequency 514.2.” South said, glancing over at Carolina. “It might work.”    
  
Carolina nodded and removed her comm unit from her ear, beginning to tinker with it until she started to get more that she could work with. South watched, already reaching for her own. The two of them weren’t going to be able to swap between channels as effortlessly as they could when they were in armor or helmets, but it was something.    
  
But Carolina's eyes widened and a tiny smile stretched across her expression. "You got it." She said calmly. "Nice work, South."    
  
"Good." South replied, already beginning to tune herself into the channel. "We're going to have to keep the airwaves clear."    
  
"So we won't be like the boys, then." Carolina joked, opening up the little bag that she'd brought with her and removing a small datapad from it. She looked it over and nodded before taking a breath and locking eyes with South. "They're about to start. We move on my mark. Sync?"   
  
"Sync." South parroted, ready for action anyways.    
  
The two of them waited for a moment by the door, and once it was time, Carolina gave the signal. She dipped out of the door first, and South followed not far after. Their seats at the banquet were going to be unoccupied, but because they weren't officially there together it was less for the two of them to worry about.    
  
At least, that was the way that things seemed to look so far.    
  
The two of them made their way through the halls of the building and far from the banquet itself. Carolina took the lead, which South was fine with because someone was going to need to watch their backs anyways. It would suck when the time came to start kicking ass when they barreled through people, but South fully intended on getting in on the action enough so that she wouldn't see a change in her position on the leaderboard because of it.    
  
Together, the two of them found their ways to the stairs and finally the first guard came into view. South watched as she walked by, obviously armed but definitely not prepared for a fight. She was walking in a way that made it obvious she was  _ very  _ bored. Probably on her fifth or sixth circuit of the building that night alone.   
  
More importantly, South knew what this meant- the people there weren't prepared for a raid of any sort. Nobody was likely to actually be prepared for what she and Carolina were going to bring to the table.    
  
The guard saw the two of them and raised an open hand in a universal symbol for  _ 'stop.'  _   
  
"I'm sorry." She started, her head held up high. "But guests aren't supposed to be back here. You two are going to need to go back to the banquet."    
  
"Sorry." Carolina said, a smirk already beginning to creep onto her expression. "I guess that the two of us must have gotten turned around."

The guard cocked her head to the side. “I don’t know how you would have managed to do that.” She turns and looks back at the hallway that South and Carolina had just come down. “There aren’t really many ways to get up here.”    
  
South shot Carolina a look, and she saw the way that a shit-eating grin began to stretch across her face. “Well, I guess that you’ll have to get us back where we’re going.”   
  
“I guess so-”  The woman said, already beginning to lead the way. Once she was turned around and not looking at them, South made her move. She slipped in behind her so fast that the woman wouldn’t have been able to stop her and pressed a hand over her mouth.   
  
It was just enough to muffle a cry from the woman. South held her tight, and when she felt the woman beginning to sag into unconsciousness, she looked up at Carolina in search of some sort of idea. "So we're going to have to look for a closet now, right?"   
  
"Closets?" Carolina laughed, craning her neck a little bit and shifting so that she could get a good view. "I think there is one near here that we can use."    
  
"Good." South muttered. She did what she could to lift the guard and followed after Carolina until they found a closet. She dumped the woman inside more or less gracelessly, just taking enough care to ensure that there weren't any head injuries getting left behind because of her. "I don't want to have to do this again."    
  
"I figured." Carolina said, keeping watch over the space behind South. "We're going to have to keep better watch than we did before."    
  
"Wasn't much we could do in a stairwell." South grumbled as she closed the door on the guard. She took a few steps away and then began on the way up the stairs again so that they could get to their location. "We should move. How's the time?"   
  
"Don't worry about the time." Carolina grumbled, following after South. “Try to focus.”   
  
South couldn't help but to roll her eyes. "You sound like my brother. 'Set your trackers, don't worry about the time.'  _ Please  _ don't make me listen to it here too."    
  
She reached the top of the stairs and pressed herself in against the wall so that she could peek around the corner. Nobody was there, and so South waved forward.  Within seconds she and Carolina were both up on the second floor and falling into place together.    
  
Carolina fell into place at South's side but soon went ahead and took the lead. South rolled her eyes and followed after her. She didn't want to be stuck thinking about the leaderboard or something, but that's hard when she's there with always-number-one Agent Carolina.    
  
South thought back to the briefing that they'd had before even leaving. The Director didn't seem to have many redeeming qualities beyond ‘marginally less creepy than The Counselor’, but he was able to get them accurate maps at the very least. She glanced back at Carolina, who was already removing the datapad from the bag that she'd brought along.    
  
"Which way?"    
  
"Left and up two flights of stairs. There should be a maintenance elevator around here."    
  
"Elevators, really?" South laughed, craning her neck and looking around. She could have sworn that she could hear someone moving nearby. That wouldn't be any good, but she wasn't exactly opposed to bashing a few more skulls if she needed to. "Please tell me you know."    
  
Carolina waved a hand, and South rolled her eyes before following after her. The two of them walked until they found a door that was marked clearly  _ AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY _ in bright red text. Carolina tried to knob, and felt it open easily enough before smiling back at South. “I think we found it.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” South muttered before making her way in. Carolina followed after her and hit the one button next to the door. It closed behind them and South shook her arms out, hoping that she would be able to relax at least a little bit. 

Carolina laced her fingers together behind her back, stretching the line of her body and cracking her neck in the process. “I hope that you’re getting ready for a fight.” She said, calmly and coolly. “Because I figure that once this elevator stops, we’re probably going to be swarmed.”    
  
“You say that like you think we aren’t up for it.” South responded. She didn't like that implication in any universe, but it also wasn't something that she wasn't expecting. The good thing was that they could probably trust that they wouldn't end up in a situation where such heavy armor as they usually wore would be considered  _ necessary _ .    
  
"I know we are." Carolina laughed, more than just a little bit playful. "But I just wanted to make sure you are paying attention."    
  
"I'm on the board for a reason, C." South grumbled, checking the gun on her thigh. She made a mental note about it, one that she was going to have to keep track of herself because she couldn't just rely on a HUD to do the job for her. They only had so much ammo to play with. "I thought you knew that."    
  
Carolina smiled, just slightly and so small that it was almost lost in the rest of her expression. "I just wanted to make sure you knew."   
  
South smiled a little bit herself, removing the pistol. Twelve rounds. She was going to have to keep track of that to the best of her abilities. She moved towards the back of the elevator. If the door was going to open, she wasn't going to be the one in the front.    
  
Carolina did the same and backed into the space beside her. "You're ready?"    
  
"Always am." South muttered, taking a slow breath so that she could ensure that she was going to be okay moving forward. Calm head, keep track of the things around her. When they were out of armor like this, South and Carolina both knew that friendly fire was much more deadly. South wasn't petty enough to go there intentionally, and she didn't want to catch heat for it going back to the Project.    
  
The door dinged quietly, and that was it. South braced herself and prepared to open fire, while Carolina did the same to her right. Sure enough, there right on the other side of the door and waiting for them was a group of guards, all with silenced guns that were pointing in their direction.    
  
That wasn't going to be too fun for them, but the spare ammo was going to be useful to them. Without armor and equipment they were still Freelancers- South knew they could make do.   
  
"Stop right there!" The man at the door shouted at them, decked out in deep red and halfway armored. The poor bastard hadn't even had the time to finish preparing for a fight. "Put your hands where I can see them!"   
  
South rolled her eyes and put a bullet right between the man's own. He stumbled backwards and the other guards around them began to do the same thing, some opening fire blindly.    
  
Carolina shot out like a bullet, throwing herself into one of the guards and grabbing at their hand to steer their aim over in the direction of one of their other assailants. She forced the guard to put a bullet into the leg of one of the other guards before Carolina brutally slammed an elbow into his face.    
  
The man dropped back onto the ground, knocked out cold.

South sprang into action, throwing herself at one of the guards that was huddling to the back like they were either too afraid to move or were just plain new to the job. She raised an arm and clothes lined the guard who dropped to the ground, unconscious. Behind her she heard two silenced gunshots, and when South looked back, she saw that Carolina was holding someone close to her and they had two bullet holes blooming red from their chest armor. 

“Watch your back!” Carolina snarled at her, red hair already falling into her face from the clean bun that she had gone out wearing. Behind her, South watched as a different guard got up and leveled their aim on the back of Carolina’s head. 

South moved as quick as she could manage to shoot the guard in the head, managing to catch them in the eye socket just before their corpse dropped to the ground, dead. 

Carolina understood what had just happened and swiveled, lashing out in a kick at someone else that was nearby. They dropped to the ground, and if they weren’t already unconscious the hit to the back of the head from Carolina’s toes definitely would have done the trick. 

That at least left the area cleared out, and while there was a part of South that was mourning for the hem of her dress which was starting to soak in violent red, she did what she could to ignore it. Priorities were important. 

“Come on!” She snarled at Carolina before taking the lead. The two of them knew where they were going, but if there had been a group of guards waiting for them there, then that meant that there was only going to be more to come later on. It was just a matter of getting to where they needed to be.    


Carolina fell into step beside her though, expression serious and laser-focused on the task at hand. “We need to get to the offices before it can get any louder.” 

“Already too loud for my liking.” South muttered. “Niner’s going to be there for extract, right?”

“She will be.” Carolina said, but it was clear- at least to South, that neither of them had actually heard from the pilot since their arrival. The entire thing just made everything difficult, and while they were doing their best, it wasn’t that simple. 

South grimaced a little bit, but since she really didn't want to make things worse she kept her mouth shut. She wanted to have faith, but with next to no contact over the course of the night, that was difficult to get.    
  
The two of them weaved through the halls in search of their target, doing what they could to disarm and incapacitate anyone that they came across in order to keep out of trouble. The mission led them up staircase after staircase until they finally were getting close to the top floor.    
  
That was about when South began to feel nervous. A part of her wished that her brother was there- he was good at talking her down, whether she liked it or not. He would have made her feel better about the fact that suddenly things had started to get  _ quiet. _   
  
South slowed to a stop, just before they reached the door that was going to bring her and Carolina up to the main office on the top floor.    
  
"Carolina." South whispered her partner's name. Carolina hesitated and stopped, pressing herself back against the wall just the same way that South had. "I don't like this."    
  
"Yeah." Carolina muttered, but it seemed like she was tense. Maybe she hadn't stopped gritting her teeth just yet. "Neither do I. But we're right there-"   
  
"And we're also not actually sure what's on the other side." South poked at the comm unit that was hooked into her ear. "And I know that you've noticed that the radios are clear of chatter now."    
  
Carolina grimaced and stood up tall, reaching down and tugging her dress out of the way at least slightly. "They've either figured us out, or we've taken out all of their forces."    
  
"I don't like the odds of either." South mumbled, blinking and looking forward to the door again. "The Director might want us to get some files from here, but-"    
  
"But we don't know if it's been compromised?"   
  
"Yeah. That." South answered, balling her hands into fists. "We need a plan."    
  
Carolina cocked her head to the side a little bit, trying to figure out what to do next. "You know, planning isn't exactly something that you do often."    
  
As a jab, it's not something that South can pretend is exactly unexpected.    
  
She grits her teeth and has to try really hard not to lash out at Carolina for that one. Maybe it'll happen when they get out of here with the data that they're looking for intact and they're on the Pelican out.   
  
Maybe not, South thinks. Either way-   
  
She reaches down and tears away a long strip of fabric from around her legs. If they were really that close to the end, then she is going to need to be able to move. South shivers, feeling weirdly exposed all things considered.   
  
Carolina stands up tall, and for a moment South gets the feeling that she's actually being  _ watched, _ but that feels wrong. But moments later, Carolina is doing the same thing as her, tying the torn fabric around her waist just in case she'll need it.    
  
"You're right." Carolina mumbles, brushing the fringe of her flame red hair away from her face. "We go in. Be careful and try not to open fire until we know what we're dealing with."    
  
"Got it." South confirms. It's easy enough. If they're lucky, the two of them will only need to get involved in hand to hand and their lives are easy.    
  
South isn't counting on that.    
  
"Sync?" She asks, locking her eyes with Carolina's.    
  
"Sync." Carolina echoes back.

Carolina counts from one to three before muttering the  _ 'mark'  _ that is all that's needed for this to start. She rushes the door first, putting herself off to the side and leaving an opening for South to do her thing.

Because one thing that South is already sure of about that door? It's not very solid- probably flimsy as all hell with a bunch of surface dressing.    
  
"Watch it!" South shuts before barreling forward and throwing herself into the door before breaking through it. A few shards of wood scratch against her skin and raise red welts, but South grits her teeth and ignores it, already moving to check her six.    
  
Before she can get a look there are two gunshots, Carolina executing the two guards that had been in there waiting for them. South almost stumbles on her landing, feeling one of her heels snap beneath her feet. That's going to be a problem later, but for now she was going to make things work.    
  
There's a man behind the desk, clearly hiding and trying to keep a low profile. He's armed, that much is obvious. He’s also holding the pistol like he’s never touched it before.

"Drop the gun." Carolina commands, taking a few steps forward and aiming her gun at his head. South isn't sure that Carolina actually has any rounds left, but she isn't going to question it. All that they really need to go for at the moment is the intimidation factor, and Carolina's got that in spades.   
  
The man jerks back, his gun dropping onto the desk with a clatter. "I don't know what you're here for!" He cries, clearly already trying to deflect. South blinks and glances back at Carolina. "Really, I don't!"   
  
"We need some things that you have." South explains, stretching and taking a few steps forward, kicking her way out of her heels along the way because she really doesn't have the time to deal with them. "And it would really be better for you if you played nice and let us have them."    
  
"Who-" The man takes a deep breath. "Who are you? Who hired you? Was it Har-"   
  
"Who hired us doesn't matter to you." Carolina says, holding her head up high and keeping her voice hard. "What matters is that you get us what we want."    
  
"And if I don't?"   
  
South shrugged. "I don't think we should have to spell that out for you?"   
  
The man looks from her to Carolina, then back at her before letting out a resigned sigh. "And you will let me live if I give you them?"   
  
South paused because she didn't really know how that fit the story. Carolina gestured towards the desk, and South took the instruction, taking the few steps forward until she was there at the desk.    
  
There weren't any other weapons there that were obvious. Sure, there was a fountain pen, but that wouldn't have done much damage than a little bit of gouging. Not nearly enough to be effective. Not when she and Carolina both were packing guns and proper knives. It would lose every time. 

"I need your hard drive." South announces to the man, leaning over his shoulder and grinning. There's a bit of blood on her face, and her hair has fallen loose from the style that it had been when they'd left. "If you don't mind."    
  
The man just scoots out of the way so that South can do her work. She leans over him and finds his computer, data ports open and ready. South rolls her eyes and looks back at Carolina. "Have the chip?"   
  
Carolina tosses it to her, and South slides it into place before beginning the wait. Immediately a green progress bar appears on the screen, slowly ticking towards 100%.    
  
The man looks between the two of them, clearly confused. "Can I at least know what this is about?"    
  
"We need to know some things." South says, shrugging. "And you're a science officer, so we're getting what we need to know."    
  
"And what do you need to know?"   
  
South can't help but laugh. "That's on a need to know basis."

The man clamps his mouth shut at that, which South is grateful for because it means that she’s going to actually be able to concentrate now. She checks the progress bar constantly, only looking back to Carolina to ensure that the situation is under control. Off in the distance, she can hear an Pelican’s engines and that’s how South knows that this is about done.    
  
The data download finishes with a quiet beep. South yanks the data chip out of the computer as fast as she can before tucking it away and out of sight. Nice and safe. She makes sure to give the guy behind the desk a good knock on the back of the head, just enough to knock him out and make sure that she and Carolina can get a clean extract out of this whole thing.    
  
“We’re good to go.” South says, looking at Carolina.    
  
For some reason, Carolina's gotten quiet for the moment, and if South knew what was going through her head, she probably would have asked. But she also wasn't sure that she really didn't want to know, so South shrugged and walked over to the window, peering out to try and see whether or not their ride is there.    
  
"How far away is she?" South asks Carolina.    
  
"Should be getting here now." Carolina replies with a shrug. "Once she gets here, we should either be going back to the Mother, or-" She paused, lips pursing. "We might have another chance at the hotel room since we aren't technically checked out yet."    
  
South nods. "Bed sounds nice." She can also feel her stomach growl, another reminder of what the two of them had done that day. The focus had been so intently on the mission that being able to get something to eat or rest had taken a serious back seat. It wouldn't have been the first time that she or Carolina had taken a mission that required them to pull 24 hour days- or longer.    
  
All that mattered was that when they got back to the Mother of Invention, they were going to be expected to fall back into line with everything else that was expected of them. It would be straight back to normality and routine- without a word allowed to be said once they got out of debriefing.   
  
"It sure does." Carolina replies. She takes a few steps back from the window and gives South an expectant look. South takes the few steps back herself and watches as Carolina fires three rounds into the window, shattering the glass. "Our ride should be here."    
  
"So we're jumping?" South matches Carolina's eyes, because this isn't exactly nothing that they haven't done before. "Sounds easy enough."    
  
"She'll be there." Carolina confirms, more than confident in 479er than she was in anyone else. She presses her fingers to the comm unit in her ear and nods, backing up again. "You can run, right?"   
  
It's an unpleasant reminder of the fact that her heels are completely busted at that point. South looks down and frowns, she’s already barefoot and there’s broken glass everywhere- about to be more. It wasn't great, but it would have to work. Once they were on the Pelican, her shoe situation could be dealt with anyways.    
  
"Should be able to." South grumbles. "Just say when, Carolina."    
  
"When." Carolina sprinted at the door and launched herself out, disappearing into the background before South followed, just as quick and just as sure of herself.

* * *

 

Hours later, South found herself and Carolina back in the hotel room that they had been in before the mission. There hadn't been much time for them to relax initially, but at least now South was able to sit around with her hair down and in clothes that were actually comfortable to her. A t-shirt and some flannel pants that she'd stolen from her brother a few weeks back were heaven compared to being crammed into a gown all night.    
  
Carolina had dipped out for a shower. South had been sure to call dibs the second that they'd gotten back to the room, because she felt a bit gross after everything. Lucky for her, Carolina hadn't felt much of a need to fight her on it.    
  
The bathroom door open and Carolina stepped out, having slipped into a pair of running shorts and a robin's egg blue tank top.    
  
South looked up from the show that was playing on the TV. It was nothing great- a pretty bad sitcom, in all honesty, but after a long night and months of having no access to television, South had wanted to indulge a bit.    
  
She looked over at Carolina. "You good?"   
  
"I am." Carolina replied before dropping down onto the bed beside South. "Nice work out there tonight."    
  
Already there were a thousand things that South wanted to be able to go ahead and say to that. It had been good work out there, but it had felt like Carolina had carried most of it. Getting the recognition for it was nice though.    
  
"Thanks." South replied, stretching her legs out and placing herself against the headboard at her back. "You did pretty great yourself. Always do."   
  
Carolina nodded and smiled. "I wanted to let you know that you clean up pretty nicely." She cocked her head to the side, more playful than South had ever seen her. "I mean, when you want to."    
  
"You aren't so bad yourself." South laughed quietly. "At least you looked like you belonged there."    
  
"You blended in just fine by my view." Carolina responded with a shrug. "Exceptionally well, really."    
  
"Dyed hair and all?"   
  
"Dyed hair and all."    
  
South smiled and tugged the blanket over herself, just a little bit. It was going to be too warm for that later, probably, but for the moment South didn't care so much. Really, she wanted to be able to take the time and relax, and-    
  
And it seemed like that was something that Carolina needed too. Relaxation looked better on Carolina than that dress had, that was for sure.   
  
South hadn't realized how long it had been since she or any of her teammates had been able to relax at all. Sure, they did their best when they were out on shore leave, but that was usually few and far between. it would be back to the grind by the end of a weekend and all of the fun would be quickly forgotten.    
  
Well, all of the fun that hadn't been had when half of them were already blackout drunk would be.    
  
Carolina reached for the bag that she had brought on the mission with  the two of them, but South reached out to stop her. "Hey," South said, making her voice as commanding as she could. "Mission's done. Relax."    
  
"It isn't done until our debriefing is over and you know it."    
  
"Which is in the morning." South took a breath. “It wouldn’t kill you to let yourself rest. We’ve got time.” 

For just a moment, South can’t help but wonder if whether or not the suggestion is too much. It definitely feels a little bit like she’s crossing some lines, mostly because Carolina is her commanding officer at the end of the day.   
  
“South-” Carolina sighs out her name. “You do realize that there is always more that needs to be done.”    
  
“And we have an entire night, and a Pelican ride ahead of us to do that.” South grumbles, because that is the honest truth, really. “We have a lot of time.”    
  
Carolina hesitates, but she does actually pull her hands back towards her. It’s definitely a concession, but South will take it. “I just don’t know what you want for me to do.”    
  
“Relax.” South picked up the TV remote to Carolina. “We might be able to catch a Grifball game or something. Just… no more work tonight. Please. For both of our sakes.”   
  
"I don't know what you're expecting." Carolina reached out and took the remote, leaning back into the bed a little bit more awkwardly than really suited her. "Seeing as this is just another mission."    
  
South looks over at Carolina, and for just a single moment, she lets herself channel her brother. "It doesn't have to be."    
  
"That's inappropriate, South. You and I both knew what we were going to be doing tonight. Trying to make it more-"    
  
"I didn't say that I  _ was _ ." South bit back, furrowing her brow and feeling some sort of weird thing down in her chest at that. It feels like Carolina might have been reading in things that weren't there. Uptight, work-crazy Carolina reading into-   
  
Well, that was something that South didn't even know she wanted to think about.    
  
But at the end of the day, she knows the way that these things go.    
  
She knows how this will end.    
  
Carolina sighs heavily and shakes her head, her still damp hair flopping down into her face gracelessly. "I just want this all to be over with."    
  
"It will be." South mumbled, letting her hands drop down to her sides. She feels the brush of her shoulder against Carolina's, warm and comforting and at her side, the same way she’d been in battle. "Just try and breathe for the rest of the night."    
  
Slowly but surely, Carolina does begin to relax down at South's side. She flicks through channel after channel until she found an old romantic comedy. South wouldn't have picked her for the type. It isn't as though she really minds it all that much, either way.    
  
As the movie plays, both of the two of them slowly drifted closer. A blanket got pulled over the two of them since they were going to be stuck sharing the one bed anyways. South was comfortable, and Carolina seemed like she was as well.    
  
"This is nice." Carolina mumbled in her ear. "I never really would have thought about it this way though."    
  
"What's that mean?" South picks her head back up and locks their eyes. "Because-"   
  
"Just... doing this." Carolina replied calmly. "With you. Sitting around and watching bad movies."    
  
"Too bad we don't have junk food." South muttered. Real popcorn sounded like it would have been absolute heaven to indulge in for a night. Or at least candy- god, what she would have done for candy.   
  
Carolina's quiet.    
  
"We can get room service."

God, if room service doesn't sound like the single most amazing thing that they could have possibly done. It wasn't as though the banquet they had infiltrated didn't have food, but the two of them had been given a lot of time to build up an appetite. Not that the food that they had at that dumb party would have been enough to actually satisfy anyways.    
  
South lets out a noise that is high and embarrassing and definitely not suited to a Freelancer before rolling off the bed and stalking over to the phone. She rifles around with the things that are on the little desk until she finds the menu. South gives it a quick look over before shrugging and tossing it over to Carolina.    
  
"Lady's choice."    
  
"You're a lady too." Carolina joked, smiling and so much more lighthearted than South had ever really seen from her. "But if you insist. Oh, there's not a lot here that's healthy-"    
  
"Yeah, sure-" South walked back over the the bed and flopped down onto it, landing about halfway on Carolina in the process. "But I could kill for a real burger after so much time on that dumb ship. I mean... don't you miss real food?"   
  
"Real meat does sound pretty amazing."    
  
"Exactly." South mumbled. She thought for a moment. "Two burgers and fries?"    
  
"That sounds great." Carolina sighs before passing the menu back over to South. The two of them both know that whatever they end up ordering is probably going to end up on an expense report, but that doesn't matter so much. What matters is that they're going to have a chance to really relax and eat a real meal before they end up back on a diet consisting wholly of whatever passes as food on the Mother of Invention.    
  
"Sure does."  South smiles and leans in against Carolina. The minute amount of distance between them is pretty amazing, something that South definitely intends to go ahead and really relish in while the two of them have the chance to do so.    
  
Carolina smiles. "This has been really nice, South."    
  
"What, the success?"   
  
"You." Carolina replies, and she looks South directly in the eye, her own eyes that too violent shade of green that she has. "I don't think that I have ever seen you so nice."    
  
"Yeah, well." South goes quiet for a moment, going back to some of the things that she had done when she was younger. "I'm still related to my brother. I'm secretly nice, and he's secretly mean."    
  
"That's really it?"   
  
"Well, yeah." South shrugs. "And I tend to like spending the time around with other ladies anyways. Besides,"    
  
"Besides what?"   
  
"I don't think that I've ever seen you act so nice either." South shrugs, blinking and looking away from Carolina for the moment. "For the record, I like you like this better than I like you as the boss."    
  
"I don't like the boss either." Carolina said quietly. She folded her hands together in her lap, like she was almost afraid to touch for the moment. "I think that people tend to forget who I really am."    
  
That makes some sort of feeling well up in South's chest because she knows that Carolina isn't the only one with that feeling for a fact. That's something that won't go away either, and South doesn't even care. People see her and they see someone that's pretty cutthroat. Clearly that's something Carolina can relate too.    
  
South shrugs. "If this is the real you, I think I like you."

“I shouldn’t have to tell you that’s appropriate to say to a commanding officer.” Carolina said, but she sounded rather distinctly bitter about saying it. The slight frown quirking the corners of her lips made that all too clear.    
  
“And?” South rolled her eyes a little bit, turning so that she and Carolina were really sitting face to face. “That doesn’t bother me.”    
  
“It should.”    
  
South cocked her head to the side. “My problems with authority are well on record. Besides-” South steals a glance at Carolina’s lips, curious. They look slightly chapped, but not unattractive for a second. “Everyone in our unit is in Freelancer because of problems with authority.”    
  
Carolina smiles at that, letting out a barking laugh. “I wish that I could tell you that you were wrong.” But she grinned, challenging South all too obviously. “But I got to Freelancer by-”   
  
“Following the rules?” South finished for her. Carolina gave her a look in response that only confirmed it. “I figured. But I also figure that you could probably benefit from breaking the rules for once yourself.” With that, South offered a challenge of her own, one that she didn’t know that she thought Carolina would take.    
  
But for a second, she could have sworn that she saw Carolina's own eyes flicker down. South grinned, because there wasn't really anything else that she would have wanted for that moment. It reminded her of other times that night, moments where Carolina's eyes had seemed to linger on her for a little too long. South was equally guilty, but that wasn't what mattered.    
  
"Still wildly inappropriate to say to a commanding officer, South."   
  
"You know that technically, you and I are off the clock?"   
  
"I do." Carolina sighed, glancing over to the door and sitting up. Her hair had fallen loose, and South wants to run her fingers through it. It looks soft, not like hers. "You seem bent on breaking the rules tonight, South. Should I prepare to put in a report?"   
  
"Nah." South leaned in, dangerously close. "I think that you should just enjoy the fun. Worry a little less."    
  
Carolina lunges forward, pressing their lips together, and South grins into the kiss. Carolina is soft and warm, and South takes the chance to get her hand up into her hair like she'd been thinking about. It's silky, perfectly groomed. She feels Carolina tilt her head into her hand, just slightly, and it's so pleasant.    
  
This is something that South would be happy to keep in the back of her mind until the end of her life. The truth is she's been thinking about this for a while, and Carolina-   
  
Well, if this is how she's going to get her to loosen up, then South is beyond fine with that possibility.    
  
The two of them stay like that, pressed together but both somehow a bit nervous about going any further than they already have. It doesn't matter, because when their meals for the night arrive they're both happy to pull away.    
  
Once that was done with, the two of them allowed themselves to sink into bed together for the rest of the night.   
  
Not that they did much in the way of sleeping.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Any and all comments and criticism are greatly appreciated.
> 
> [I'm on tumblr. Sometimes stuff happens. I'm always willing to take new prompts and questions there!](http://tyrian-callows.tumblr.com/)


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